Sunday, December 4, 2011

Easy Does It (How to Survive the Holidays)

Tonight, we host a Christmas party for graduate students. We've learned, after all these years and all sorts of gatherings in our home, that easy does it.

Nobody cares if my cabinets have hand prints on them.

Nobody cares if I forget to dust the top of the refrigerator.

Nobody cares if I don't have the kind of Christmas centerpieces you see in glossy magazines.

We're here to be together, so everybody can just relax, put their feet up, drink some holiday punch, and sing carols around the freshly tuned piano.

I decide to create some holiday cheer for guests with one of the easiest recipes I know: Peppermint Bark.

We melt some white chocolate, add some peppermint extract, crush up some candy canes, sprinkle them on top with with chunks of white chocolate, smear it on a pan, let it cool in the fridge, break it up, and serve it.

Children love things that involve verbs like crush, smear, sprinkle, and break. It's so easy and fun, that we think of ways to embellish the recipe.

What if we make coconut bark? Imagine! Coconut, dark chocolate, and white chocolate:

Bring on the season! Living with flair means you can celebrate with easy and fun.

YUMMMMMM! Wish I lived nearby! That looks fabulous! You are so right. WE can do things very simply and not fuss and worry about what is clean. It is being together that makes the holidays so precious! Thanks for this timely reminder. Blessings!

For the past few years I have made caramel corn, which is pretty easy and very tasty. This year I saw a recipe for maple-pecan granola in my newspaper. It is even easier. I just made my first batch! Either of these treats can be stored in a big Tupperware container, and quickly packaged in a cute little gift bag for a last-minute gift for someone.

I make nestle marshmallow fudge with two kinds of chocolate chips. ....it's medium easy and has only not turned out once in all the times I've made it. My favorite add-ins for white choc/almond bark is mixed dried berries with macademia nuts or cashews. YUM-O!!!

About Me

In my writing classes, we talk about writing with flair, but lately I've been interested in what it means to live with flair. Can I find a way to make every day impressive and meaningful? Just as a sentence turns into something beautiful with the right verb and punctuation, can I learn to revise my day and punctuate it with flair?

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More about me. . .

I'm a wife and mother of two who teaches college writing. I love writing novels, encouraging teachers, reflecting on spiritual principles in everyday life, drinking tea out of my little blue teapot, petting my cats, exercising, lighting candles, reading grammar books, watching movies and any television show with singing and dancing in it, entertaining, eating leftover Chinese food, and blogging. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.